New Era Dawns With Callahan

At His Introduction, Coach Bill Callahan Said Nebraska Will Throw The Football.

January 10, 2004|By Elizabeth Merrill, Omaha World-Herald

LINCOLN, Neb. -- He has tickets to the symphony, he can't whistle the school fight song and one of the first things that came out of Bill Callahan's mouth Friday was that he's coming to Nebraska to -- gasp -- throw the ball.

A new era in Cornhusker football has officially begun.

Near the same perch where Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson delivered his fiery "gravitate to mediocrity" speech six weeks ago, Callahan was introduced as the Huskers' 27th coach, the first outsider in more than four decades.

Callahan, the former Oakland Raiders coach, said all the right things in a jam-packed new conference, embracing expectations and saying his No. 1 goal is pursuing national championships.

And a state sighed.

"I'm glad it's over," said Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman. "I'm hoping we're still teaching and doing research and stuff at the university that's really important. I haven't had connections to that in a while, and I'm glad to get back to it."

Friday's announcement capped the wildest two months in the history of the Nebraska athletic department, a time of rampant speculation, whispers of a player boycott and the first firing of a head football coach in 42 years.

Pederson was in the 39th day of his search when Callahan flew into town Wednesday, and after spending nearly 20 hours with the coach, Pederson decided he'd found his man.

Callahan agreed to a six-year deal that will pay him $1.5 million annually. He also threw himself into what is considered one of the most pressure-packed situations in college football, especially after Pederson fired Frank Solich the day after Solich wrapped up a 9-3 regular season.

"Expectations are high no matter where you are," Callahan said. "I wanted to be able to add to the dimension of success here, to take a team and lead it to the national championship."

To do that, he'll dramatically change Nebraska football. The Huskers have lived by the running game for more than 20 years and won five national championships, primarily on the ground. Callahan said Friday he'll implement his West Coast offense, a pro style that is heavy on short passes.

Callahan said he'll serve as his own offensive coordinator, a dual role that Tom Osborne held during the the 1990s and that Solich had until he had to give up the job in 2002 in the wake of a 7-7 season.

In Callahan's first year as the Raiders' head coach, Oakland led the NFL in passing and he became just the fourth rookie coach to take a team to the Super Bowl. What followed was a 4-12 season in 2003 and his subsequent firing Dec. 31.

Pederson was in his sixth week of the search when he contacted Callahan on Monday. He talked to at least three NFL coaches before Callahan, a list that included Kansas City's Al Saunders, Philadelphia's Brad Childress and Dallas' Mike Zimmer.

Pederson said Friday that he never had one candidate at the top of his wish list. He contacted coaches as they became available, and fate brought him to Callahan.